Charlie White

Nokia has created a cellphone that disassembles itself in two seconds when heat is applied to it, making it easier to dispose of when it becomes obsolete two weeks from now. No, it's not going to be falling apart in your hot little pocket, but if laser heating is applied, the thing literally comes apart, making it easier to recycle instead of the shredding that goes on with current cellphones and small electronics. It's called "active disassembly." According to Nokia:

"The idea is to disassemble a mobile phone by a heat-activated mechanism without any contact. By using a centralized heat source like laser heating, the shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator is activated, and the mobile phone covers are opened. The battery, display, printed wiring board (PWB) and mechanical parts are separated and can then be recycled in their material specific recycling processes. The required temperature for the disassembly is 60-150 C. If it were lower the phone could dismantle by itself, for instance in a hot car, and if it were higher the plastics would melt."

Finally, someone is thinking about what will happen to all these shiny toys after the thrill is gone. – Charlie White